Film Opening Project: Every Detail Counts

 Clarification Through Props/ Set Design: The Bedroom

    Hey everyone! As you all know I am continuing my journey with the Film Opening Project with my partner Natalia, and with the many components that this project requires, we decided to take some time to focus on props and set design. So, for that reason, I decided to dedicate a post for these two components.

Why do props and set design matter? 

    Props and set design are key players towards building the personality of the main character. These two components are important as the give hints to the audience that link towards a variety of aspects that relate to the main character. So, when me and Natalia decided to talk about how to let the audience know more about the main character (Stella), before formally introducing her, we came up with a list of ideas to place emphasis on her character. 

    There will be two sets that will be utilized throughout the filming process. One is our school's auditorium, which resembles a movie theater (perfect!), and the other set will be the bedroom scene shown right after the insert of the film title. However, I am dedicating this post towards the props for the set design of the bedroom in particular, since we are still working on location scouting for the auditorium. 

The Set 

    While I knew that the bedroom scenes would only be a few seconds long, I still feel that it is important to plan out the props in the scenes since I would like the prop choices to properly represent Stella (the main character). Below I have inserted photos of the exact bedroom I will be filming these scenes in...

    I also included this picture to zoom in on the specific part of the room in which I want the majority of the props to go. 

    There are two reasons why I felt this spot would be best to film. The first reason being the spot of the wall and the night table. For the idea of the photo wall, this is the only bedroom wall white enough space for a photo collage. Also, the night table is an important prop to the set, so this spot would be very convenient for filming. The second reason for choosing this spot is because of the lighting. The biggest window of the room is on the opposite side of this wall, so it would help the lighting look more natural during filming. (To clarify, these pictures show how the bedroom looks like before the addition of the props).

Props/ Inspiration

    Keeping in mind that Stella is an aspiring actress, we decided to first brainstorm room decorations that could match her dreams, but also her bright personality. Since photo walls tend to be a very popular room decor choice for women (even I have a photo wall), I felt that she should have a photo wall, but of things related to the acting industry. This would include film posters and a collage of photos with the acting "aesthetic" to be shown as her form of manifestation for her dreams. 

    However, we cannot keep taking all of the credit, as our inspiration was drawn from Pinterest. So, to keep our ideas organized, I created a Pinterest Board with photos that inspired our thoughts. Below this, I have incorporated part of the Pinterest Board I created, but the full board can be found by clicking this link: Stella Bedroom Pinterest

    This Pinterest Board however only contains bedroom decor in relation to the photos that would be hung on the wall, since it is what I had the most ideas for. 

    Besides the film related posters/ photos, I also thought of including inspirational photos/ quotes on the photo wall, and I have reasoning behind this choice. With the insecurity that Stella has with her dreams of becoming an actress, she feels that she needs lots of support to keep herself determined, despite her harsh journey she will have to overcome along the way. Since she wants to keep herself motivated, she purposely hung up several inspirational quotes that she reads every morning, reminding her of what she wants to do. Below are examples of some inspirational note cards that I own that I will incorporate to the photo wall...

Extra Props That Hint Towards Stella

    While the props I mentioned above do hint towards Stella's love for film and dreams for pursuing acting, I felt that I could use more variety in props that could hint even more towards Stella herself. Since the name Stella means star, and actresses are usually referred to as stars, I felt that I should incorporate some small details with inclusions of stars, so that way later on, the viewer can puzzle these props together with the meaning of her name, as well as her dreams. Below is a list of all the possible props including stars that may be featured in the film opening...

- Phone wallpaper of stars

- Star jewelry on the nightstand

- Stars on the lamp

- Inspirational quote with stars (one example is actually shown above)

- Star stickers on the nightstand

    While I haven't exactly chosen which one of these I will use, or how many I will use, items on this list will definitely come in handy soon.

    The last but very much important prop that will be used in these bedroom scenes will be a crumbled up acting audition paper sitting on the nightstand. This prop will be the biggest hint to give to the audience that would basically confirm the character's passion and dream. The reason it is crumbled up is to show how much she has contemplated whether or not to go to these auditions, as well as symbolizing how harsh her journey for pursuing this dream will be. This prop will also be linked to a calendar prop that will highlight the date of the auditions, confirming her desire to act while giving the viewer a sense of time.

    Anyways, I hope that this blog post cleared up the current situation on one of our set designs and hints through props. Stay tuned for my next update on our journey!